Most of us can remember exactly what we were doing on September 11, 2001. Today’s students, though, won’t have those memories since they weren’t even born by the time the events of that heartbreaking moment shook our world. Commemorate this year’s 20th anniversary of 9/11 with websites and books that can help you create informational and impactful lesson plans to teach kids about the tragic events.
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Resources/Websites to Teach About 9/11
1. Anniversary in the Schools Webinar
The 9/11 Memorial Museum is offering a free webinar for the 20th anniversary where students and teachers can commemorate this event. Speakers include 9/11 firefighters, police, and families who were affected by the tragedy. Sign up for the anniversary webinar here.
2. 9/11 Memorial & Museum Lesson Plans
These interactive lesson plans address the 9/11 attacks, their ongoing repercussions, and the history of the World Trade Center. Lessons plans are divided by grade level and theme.
3. What Happened on September 11?
What Happened on September 11 is an HBO Family documentary introducing the events to a young audience.
4. The 9/11 Lesson
Find over a dozen lessons for grade levels K-6, brought to you by Global Game Changers. Students can create an oral history, create their own symbol in honor of 9/11, and much more.
5. Talking to Children About Terrorism
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has created broad guidelines to help teachers as they lead these tough conversations.
6. Understanding September 11
This collection of lesson plans, news stories, videos, and book lists will help teach kids about 9/11 and the lasting impact on the United States.
7. BrainPop September 11
In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby will explain just what happened on that fateful day.
8. 9/11 Lesson Plans and Resources
This curated collection of 9/11 lesson plans, resources, and activities gives teachers a variety of options for teaching about what happened on September 11, 2001.
9. Teaching 9/11 In The Classroom
This website includes lesson plans featuring Inspiring interviews with teachers and their students.
10. September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
This resource captures the reactions, eyewitness accounts, and diverse opinions of Americans and others in the months that followed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93.
11. 9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide
These classroom lessons and activities for grades K-12 aim to deepen students’ understanding of September 11 and develop their critical thinking skills.
12. Classroom Activities: Commemorating September 11
A collection of writing, discussion, and artistic ideas for commemorating the anniversary of September 11.
13. 9/11 Day.org
Share impactful ways to make a difference, whether it’s working through 20th-anniversary lesson plans , feeding a first responder, or diversifying the books in your classroom.
14. The 9/11 Anniversary in the Classroom
PBS offers a one-page background text for middle and high school students and a short list of resources for the classroom.
Books to Teach About 9/11
15. Towers Falling
From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks in a classroom of students who cannot remember the event but live through the aftermath of its cultural shift.
16. September 11 Then and Now
This book investigates the events leading up to 9/11 and how they changed our world.
17. Branches of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree
With attention to resilience and hope, this book discusses the events of 9/11 appropriately for young students.
18. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
A teacher’s pick on Amazon, this book shares the story of four kids across the country who are going about their daily lives until the events on 9/11 bring them together. Review the days leading up to 9/11, and learn how four students were impacted by this day.
19. This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth
Told from the point of view of a tree surviving 9/11, the tree’s home was destroyed. Relocation allowed the tree to recover before returning to its original site, much like the nation had to heal during this trying time.
20. 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag
Together with your students, discover the story of the 9/11 flag from ground zero. Today it serves as a symbol of unity for the nation.
21. I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001
This graphic novel combines historical facts with a compelling story to tell the tale of 9/11.
22. Official Book of the National September 11 Memorial
The official book created by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, this keepsake volume honors those lost and celebrates the spirit of hope as it tells the story of rescue, recovery, and the building of the memorial plaza and the museum.
23. Fireboat
Based on real events, this book tells the story of the retired John J. Harvey fireboat and how it helped battle the roaring flames on that fateful day.
Plus check out 15 activities and websites toteach kids about historical timelines .
Have other ideas to teach kids about 9/11? Share in the comments below.
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